WASHINGTON - At the start of the Supreme Court's term on the first Monday in October, and in a marked departure from his predecessor, Chief Justice John Roberts announced that the Court will allow advertisements on its Justices' robes, but not for any person or business that currently has a case pending before the Court. The first ads, fittingly enough for the defending Super Bowl champions, will be for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Roberts declared yesterday "Black and Gold Day" at the United States Supreme Court. All of the justices donned ceremonial Terrible Towels over the traditional black robes worn since the inception of the court over two hundred years ago.
While this is the first time the Court has accepted payment to change its look, it was not be the first time the Court has altered its wardrobe. During one session in 1967, Chief Justice Earl Warren insisted his colleagues wear paisley robes in an attempt to "bridge the [generation] gap between old and new members of the bar." In 1977, Chief Justice Warren Burger briefly dispensed with the traditional silk fabric in favor of the polyester leisure robe, but when the full court determined that the framers of the constitution would abhor the wide lapel, the leisure robe was consigned to the storage closet of history.
Dan Rooney, Chairman of the Pittsburgh Steelers, presented Chief Justice Roberts a check for the ads at a "tailgate party" in Roberts' driveway on Sunday. Five other NFL teams are following suit in upcoming weeks. Roberts announced that in honor of the Court's new association with the NFL, the filing of Petitions for Certiorari in the Court is no longer necessary. "In the style of the NFL," Roberts explained, "an aggrieved party need simply throw a red flag on the floor of the Supreme Court Building; this will be sufficient to ensure review in our court."
Roberts also announced that next Friday, three of the Justices will don jerseys saying "Uni," "Roy," and "Al" in an advertisement for Uniroyal.
